Intorqueo ab Fatum
by Gin2
Summary: What if Time was wrong? What would happen to people in our Time, if Time were to correct itself? Hermione's life would be completely different, as would the lives of many at Hogwarts. This story is meant to be an AU! Eventual HGSS


Disclaimer: Snape: *jumps out of his skin and turns into a woman* Hermione: *morphs into the tiny yipping dog she's always been* Harry: "Ugh! I never whined!" Ron: *is a winner..ouch.*  
  
A/N: On a personal note, this little baby has been in my head for like, ever. And I've been scheming it before I even started submitting fanfic. And I would just like the readers to know THIS IS AN AU! *ahem* This is not to be taken as a literal truth. I just saw a hole, and filled it. (Oh yeah, baby) Yes, yes, yes, it's also a time-turner, but not a typical one, Christ. Now, with this in mind, enjoy my lovelies.  
  
A/N II: Note me g*% damnit!  
  
Intorqueo ab Fatum  
By|Gin  
  
Chapter One  
  
Have you ever walked in the shadows in the winter and your skin is freezing, your fingers are numb and your insides are shaking to the point of almost pain? You can see the sun, but you won't encounter its rays for quite a few more feet, but you can anticipate how it will feel. Despite the ever so slight breeze, you know those weak and far off waves will just warm you enough to feel alive again. Hermione quickened her pace a bit; eager to feel the sun's warmth when at last she stepped out of the shadows. It seemed like such a normal thing; to be stuck in the shadows. She didn't even know she was lost in them. How can one know their life should be different if they've never experienced anything else, much less had knowledge of it? It happened so suddenly. The darkness left her and the immediate penetration of bright light hit her face and she smiled. A bit taken by surprise, she didn't realize how strongly she would be affected. Gently her head tilted up to take the full blast and her eyes closed. Her cheeks tingled and her neck prickled as she arched it towards the sun. She focused all her attention to the modest warmth and it seemed to be working its heat into her very core. That lost, painful chill had dissipated and was now replaced with a tingling of joy. This was nice.  
"Oy! Hermione! Hurry up, I'm starving!" Harry Potter shouted from inside the entryway of the massive double doors to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
Hermione's transitory moment of blissful clarity evaporated, and the biting winter air slapped her back in the face. Most unwelcome. Even still, she smiled at the boy standing huddled in his cloak waiting for her at the door. Well, he wasn't really a boy. He hadn't been since their 5th year, and that was two years ago.  
She inclined her head, hugged her own cloak closer to her and jogged the rest of the way up the steps to meet him.  
"Sorry," she said slightly out of breath. She smiled again; his cheeks were red from the cold.  
"Yeah," he turned towards the Great Hall for the heavenly scent of beef stew wafting towards him. Hermione followed him and he nudged her playfully. "What were you doing?" She hit him back and they entered the Hall.  
Later that afternoon, she sat in the stone windowsill of her private room, writing with her feather quill in her diary. One of the many luxuries of being Head Girl was getting your own private room with bath. She lay the diary down on her knees and glanced out over the browned court and watched the students decked out in cloaks, scarves and hats with bobbles on them that worrying mothers had sent as some played football or catch. The new batch of Slytherin first years were picking on the surprisingly fragile first year Hufflepuffs. This, she thought, was saying a lot for a Hufflepuff. She then thought she should break them up, as it was her responsibility being Head Girl, but she really didn't feel like going back out into the cold. She'd only gone outside with Harry in the first place to visit Hagrid.  
Instead she opted for very slightly opening her window, tipping her wand out and shooting a few harmless crimson sparks at the fussing crowd which seemed to work effectively at disbanding them. Hastily shutting the window back Hermione nestled back into her thick woollen blanket and absently rubbed the quill against her chin. She felt so.different this year. It seemed the older she got, the worse the feelings became. She had even started to worry about her grades because of it. She jotted down another thought on her parchment and looked back outside to the grounds. The Hufflepuffs were now playing a game of hopscotch. She needed to study some more. It seemed she just couldn't find as much time as she usually had in the past. Her class schedules were loaded; her Head Girl duties took up whatever time her classes didn't. She took half her meals in her room now, just so she could study, and when she didn't come out, Harry, Ron and Ginny were banging on her door, (illegally for the boys, by the way, but Harry's title of Head Boy forced his brain to overlook that fact) and forcing her out. This year she found it was much easier for them to convince her to leave the books for a while.  
This was a troubling factor. Her brows knit together and she looked up at the clear, pale blue sky. A knock sounded at her door and Hermione rose to answer, stuffing her worn leather diary into a drawer on her dresser. She'd ask McGonagall tomorrow about that Time Turner again.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Two days later, Hermione left her Head of House's office with Time- Turner in hand. She'd promised not to do anything irresponsible and not to neglect herself like last time. The Transfiguration professor had only agreed in the hopes that maybe this could set her to rights. She had noticed her behaviour and thought the extra academic time the device brought would help to clear her mind of whatever was fogging it up. Though she warned her, these weren't the same Time-Turners she had been used to. They'd progressed to much further lengths of time for the future, and the past. Not just hours, but years as well, so she had better be careful. Hermione had promised she would, and that she would keep her updated, thanked her and left the office. Minerva McGonagall sat back at her large wooden desk and stared thoughtfully at her door, before reaching for a biscuit in a nearby tray.  
Over the next couple weeks, Hermione's mood did improve, her studying habits became more regular, and her bossiness flared up again, but it seemed such an immediate change. To most it appeared as if the clouds had lifted, but to Harry and Ron it only worried them more. She still wasn't quite.right. But when they had confronted her in the past, she had simply shrugged and said it was nothing she could put her finger on. Now when asked how she felt, she became defensive and stormed off.  
"Honestly, I feel better, just drop it," she had said. Ron shrugged and stalked off to his dormitory room and Harry kicked over a pack of Exploding Snap, which literally exploded and caught the case on fire.  
"Oh come on," he sighed and poured water from his wand over the mess before banishing it.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The next day, in Advanced Potions, Snape had been in a particularly foul mood and assigned everyone six feet of homework on the uses and reactions of Rosemary and Horsetail extracts. Lavender smiled at the next table over knowing exactly the uses for such ingredients, being prominent components in half her bathing oils. Snape had left the class before the students and stalked off down the halls, even shouting at a few Slytherins who were in his way.  
"Nice one, Harry," Dean grumbled as they re-packed their book satchels. Ron had "opted" not to take Advanced Potions, and Dean Thomas had sat with Harry since Seamus, his best friend, was a walking accident waiting to happen.  
"He started it. Miserable old bat.."  
Hermione just sighed and left the Potions classroom without them.  
At dinner that night, the Headmaster noticed Snape sitting rigid as stone and actually picking at his food. He leaned over so his Potions Master could hear him, "Are your mashed potatoes moving as well, Severus?" Dumbledore's eyes beamed.  
Snape slightly shook his head and held his fork properly. "Just not hungry is all." Though he warily glanced at his mashed potatoes and Albus chuckled. When the Headmaster went back to his own plate, he stole another glance at his Deputy Headmistress, McGonagall. She looked back at him worriedly. Ten minutes later, Snape rose to leave, his plate having only been modified by the fork that had scraped the potatoes away from the untouched lamb chops, and exited the Great Hall. To most, this type of behaviour would be considered normal for Severus Snape, as everything he did was basically abnormal, therefore left to be unquestioned. However, to a select few, the Potions Master's behaviours had become quite erratic and worrisome. Minerva leaned towards her old friend to whisper her question.  
"What is the matter with him, Albus?" her tone was firm, yet concerned.  
Albus had leaned in as well; news of a troubled Potions Master would definitely be highly unwelcome and would indefinitely agitate the man even more. "I'm not sure, though, there are some disturbing signs as of late-"  
"Yes!" she whispered urgently. "You've seen them too? Something very.strange is going on. Albus, I don't like it. The whole castle's mood is almost-"  
"Tense. Yes. Some of the other professors have noticed it as well. Even the students are being affected. I must admit, I'm a little troubled, Minerva." His raspy voice did carry a note of apprehensiveness, which was not good. Most considered Albus Dumbledore to be supremely omnipotent, especially in his own home and nothing ever escaped him. And Miss Granger, too. He watched as she rose up from her seat at the Gryffindor table and made her way out of the hall as well. He then noticed the glances shared between Messrs. Potter and Weasley and turned back to his Gryffindor Head of House.  
"Miss Granger.is she-"  
"Well? I'm not sure. Surely you noticed her behaviour earlier this year. Ever since we gave her the Time Turner again, she's been almost back to her normal self, but still.."  
Dumbledore reached into one of the many pockets in his voluminous robes and fished out a lemon drop. He gazed intently at the shutting door of the Hall and rolled the Muggle candy around his tongue. Something just wasn't right.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Hermione felt ill. She'd told the boys the truth, she really didn't feel well and she was going to go up to her rooms and go right to sleep. She wrapped her arms around herself and staring at the stone floor proceeded to turn towards the stairs to go up to Gryffindor Tower when something very solid hit her square on. She gasped and started to fall backwards, since her arms were tucked in and couldn't balance, but two very strong hands gripped her by her upper arms and caught her. Actually, the grip was a little too strong; and very cold.  
Snape had gasped in surprise and frustration at the same time. He'd been looking down at the floor, lost in his thoughts, when he'd run into the Granger girl. 'Clumsy girl,' he'd thought, though a slight twinge of guilt or irony one reprimanded him as he'd been just as careless, but he'd not admit it.  
He sighed, "Miss Granger, do watch where you're going next time," he said forcefully, his hands still harshly gripping her arms.  
Hermione blinked. Did she just slam into Snape? How mortifying! "Y- yes sir. I'm sorry, yes sir." 'Now please let go of my arms so I can go throw up in my rooms peacefully!'  
He glared down at her, and after realizing he hadn't let go of her, hastily did so and swiftly stalked back into the Great Hall. Hermione shook her head, blanched at the rapid movement and as quickly as her fragile stomach would allow, ran the rest of the way to Gryffindor Tower.  
When Snape had re-entered the Hall, only a few Slytherins and most of the faculty noticed. He stared straight ahead and walked back to his seat. Albus gave him a questioning glance and Snape reached out to his chair and grabbed something. He started to walk off, but painfully hesitated, turned to Albus and said quietly, "I forgot my cloak." Albus' bushy eyebrows shot up and Snape's face stayed calm and unimpressed, and once again left the Great Hall and back down into his rooms in the dungeons. Dumbledore dismissed the curious glances of his fellow staff members and spoke softly to himself.  
"Yes. Something isn't quite right."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Once Hermione had vomited whatever contents had been in her stomach, and brushed her teeth, she collapsed onto her feather bed with a cool washcloth pressed against her forehead. She winced when she realized she'd stuttered before Snape. Of all the professor's to appear weak in front of.  
"Y-yes sir. I'm a pathetic child s-sir," she said self-mockingly. Her stomach flip-flopped again and she rolled over to the direction of the rubbish bin beside her bed and pressed the damp cloth closer to her forehead.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Once Snape finished brewing his Memory Strengthening Potion, he fell onto his uncomfortable wooden work chair. He grabbed a handkerchief from inside his robes and wiped the cold sweat from his brow. He hoped this.whatever it was that was affecting him was simply the moon. This just would not do. His eyes closed and he fell into an uneasy sleep in the chair. Too bad he forgot to wake up to take the cauldron off the fire that night.  
  
~*~*~ 


End file.
